Dog Missing For 5 Years Reunited With Family 500 Kilometres Away
Monday November 24, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. is Thursday and like the Canadian version in October, it's a time for families to gather and be grateful for their blessings.

But for one group of relatives in the aptly named city of Pleasantville, New Jersey, Thanksgiving came early this year.

They were stunned on Saturday when they received a letter from a humane society to tell them that they'd found their lost dog. What's so amazing about that?

The animal was located in Pittsburgh, more than 500 kilometres from where she lived - and the dog had been missing for the past five and a half years.

Tootsie is a beautiful little dachshund who disappeared from the home of Daniel Colon back in 2003. She was only six months old when she was apparently taken from her yard, but try as they might and despite days of searching, her owners never found their beloved pet.

After years and years had gone by, they'd given her up as lost - or worse.

And then came that piece of mail from the Animal Rescue League of Pittsburgh. Animal control officers had spotted the pooch wandering by itself down a local street and picked her up.

She was taken to a nearby vet to be examined and that included scanning the pet for a microchip. They were surprised to find an address in another state a long way away, but when the listed number wasn't answered, they followed up with a letter.

The people who finally got the message were at first stunned, then overjoyed, phoning the shelter and asking if the dog had six toes. When the answer came back yes, they knew it was Tootsie.

The family was one of many who lost a second dog to the melamine food poisoning scare that affected many pet owners last year. So they were amazed when their no-longer-a-pup turned up.

On Monday, a rep from the league drove half way to Harrisburg, Pa., to meet the owners and return the dog they'd given up for lost.

None of them have any idea where Tootsie has been all these years, but most suspect someone took her - or took her in - because she was well fed and healthy. And now, hopefully, happy to be home, as well